A Michigan attorney has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Detroit on charges related to filing false tax returns and willfully failing to file tax returns. The indictment accuses Shawn Smith, known as "Shawn the Law," of not reporting substantial income from his law practice on his individual income tax returns for the years 2017 through 2020. Additionally, it is alleged that Smith did not file tax returns for 2021 and 2022.

If found guilty, Smith could face up to three years in prison for each count of filing a false return and one year for each count of failing to file a return. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other legal factors.

The announcement was made by Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan, and IRS Special Agent in Charge Charles Miller.

The investigation is being conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation, with Trial Attorneys Jeffrey A. McLellan and Kenneth C. Vert from the Tax Division leading the prosecution.

It is important to note that an indictment is only an allegation, and all defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.